A true conservative, a Christian, and a Tennessean, I hope to contribute my two-cents on politics, policy issues, life, and sports.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Republican or Conservative? The Two are Distinct.

First, you need to understand where this post is coming from. Yesterday, I asked a simple, honest question - I wanted to know why Brian Hornback was so critical of Republican nominees in Knox County. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why he is doing so, so I thought I would see if anyone else had any ideas. This wasn't any subtle dig or attempt to stir the pot. I just thought it odd to see the former head of Knox County Republican Party attacking Republican nominees Ruthie Kuhlman and Foster Arnett, Jr.

Now, I suspect that Brian probably holds a grudge against Arnett for taking his boy Scott Moore behind the woodshed in the GOP primary for County Clerk, but I don't know that for a fact. That's why I asked. Maybe Brian has some built up guile against Arnett reaching back to the days of Victor Ashe or even earlier. I certainly don't know.

The same goes for Ruthie Kuhlman. As Brian pointed out, Ruthie has supported Democratic candidates recently. However, that's not the reason for Brian's hate of Kuhlman, as his posts against her span back to hours after her primary victory, and knowledge of her support of Democratic candidates is only a few days old. There's something else there. Maybe Brian likes lawyers? Nope, not from his reaction...

So Brian Hornback lets loose with the poison that he normally saves for private conversations. He calls me a liar, but doesn't say what I am lying about. He calls me a lawyer, as if that is going to hurt my feelings. He says that I support either Clinton or Obama, but he can't point to anywhere that I have endorsed either of the Democratic candidates. He says something about Tyler Harber, but I have no clue what the heck he is talking about. He comments on Randy Neal's site that I'm not "from around here," as if being tied with Knox County politics somehow makes one wiser to the ways of the world.

Brian's right - I'm not from around here. And I'm damn proud of it. I'm from the 1st District of the Great State of Tennessee, where people support candidates that believe what they believe. We sat with Jimmy Quillen and Bill Jenkins at church socials and pancake breakfasts, talking about what we could do to make this world a better place through the vehicles of limited government, lower taxes, religious and civil liberties, protection of the right to bear arms, and a strong military to defend our borders.

The bond we felt has to do with belief and ideology, not party loyalty. This is more of an Appalachian trait, it seems, than a Tennessean one or a Southern one. I suppose that one could expand voting for a common ideology instead of with party affiliation to many parts of the South, and Zell Miller of Georgia would be an example of this phenomenon. In fact, those Republicans who cheered Zell's loyalty to his ideology at the expense of his party and then deride those of us who do the same thing as the party of McCain drifts Left are nothing more than hypocrites and opportunists.

I am not supporting John McCain. I will not vote for John McCain. I have not been shy about those statements. If given the choice of candidates who have not supported tax cuts, a limited government, the right to bear arms, closing our borders to the flow of criminals crossing them, and only serve to feed their own insatiable thirst for power, I will vote for none of them. I had hoped to vote for the Constitution Party's Alan Keyes (who I previously worked for in my second presidential campaign), but he recently lost his bid to be placed on the ballot to Chuck Baldwin.

If I were to vote today, I would vote for Chuck Baldwin. Unlike many of his predecessors, he is getting some genuine press, as demonstrated here in this piece in WorldNetDaily. And no one should be surprised, as I said that I might support the Constitution Party nominee over a year ago. (Also, check out Baldwin's speech linked to in the April, 2007 post.)

And this is the difference between Brian Hornback and myself. As I have said many times on this blog and off, Brian Hornback was perfect for being Chairman of the Knox County GOP. That job is all about being for the party - even when the party is flat-out wrong. Brian kept the peace (as good as it could be in Knox County) and supported Republicans at all times. That is why I was taken aback that he was so negative towards Kuhlman and Arnett.

I'm not saying that Brian is wrong to be against them. I don't live in the 4th District, so I won't be voting for Kuhlman, but I certainly will be voting for Arnett, just as I did in the primary. Brian's actions just struck me as odd, so I asked an open question to see if anyone knew why. Brian took offense, and he acted out. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

But, then again, I'm not from around here. My conservatism is based on the writings of Kuyper, Burke, Chesterton, Buckley, Nash, and Reagan. I seriously doubt they would know what to do with Knox County politics, either.

My voting record is clean. I have voted in EVERY election since August 20, 1984 (when I turned 18) I have ALWAYS voted Republican. I understand that some of Foster's people went to the election commission and obtained my voting record, they were planning to contest my REPUBLICAN status. They were told to worry about Amy Henley Vandergriff. That Brian Hornback is more Republican than the KCRP Executive Committee, which Angela is a member, by the way.

Hi Rob, I'm an independent running for 1A on the commission race. I have worked with Brian on the Corker race in '06, but like you I fall into the conservative camp first, then a republican.Part of my platform has to do with the fact that the party mentality is not as useful on the local level as it is on the state and local levels.Anyways take a look at my site and blog and let me know what you think.www.writeinspellings.com